The nightless city; or, The "history of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku"

by J. E. De Becker

Classes of Prostitutes.

The custom of dividing courtesans into higher and lower classes had already sprung into existence while the Yoshiwara was situated at Yanagi-machi (close by the present Tokiwa-bashi). They were then classified as Tayū and Hashi-j�ro.[22] During the period of the Yoshiwara three classes were added, viz:—K�shi-j�ro, Tsubone-j�ro, and Kirimise-j�ro. After the opening of the new (Shin) Yoshiwara, Hashi-j�ro and Tsubone-j�ro ceased to exist, while at the same period (Genroku = 1688–1703) Sancha-j�ro and Umecha-j�ro came into existence. After the era of Kwansei (1789–1800) the classes in existence were:—Yobi-dashi, Chūsan, Tsuke-mawashi, Zashiki-mochi, Heya-mochi, and Kirimise-j�ro. Particulars of these changes are mentioned in various old books and can also be gathered from the lists of courtesans published in those times. As to the origin of the names Tayū, K�shi, Tsubone, etc., these terms appear to have been derived from a similar classification in vogue in Ky�to, and if my readers are curious to trace these derivations they will do well to refer to a book called the D�b�-Goyen (洞房語園) for further information.

Types of Modern Courtesans.

The Tayū was a courtesan of the highest class, excelling her unfortunate sisters both in respect to her beauty and accomplishments, and, as previously mentioned, this appellation had come into existence while the kuruwa was yet in Yanagi-ch�. In the 20th year of Kwan-ei (1642) there were 18 tayū, in the era of Manji (1658–1660) 19, and in the 2nd year of Ky�h� (1718) 14, but between the 21st year of Ky�h� (1736) and the 1st year of En-ky� (1744) the number of tayū decreased to 5. In the 4th year of Kwan-en (1751) we only find one tayū in the whole Yoshiwara, and by the end of the H�reki era (1751–1763) the class had entirely disappeared. The age-dai-kin (fee) of a tayū was at first fixed at 37 momme (about Yen 6.14), but by the era of Teiky� (1684–1687) it had been doubled. In the era of Kwamp� it appears to have been 97 momme of silver (about Yen 16.00). At that period the class of courtesans styled Hashi-j�ro was a very low one, and no reliable record is extant from which we can obtain particulars of their fees.

The K�shi-j�ro were similar to those known as Tenjin in Ky�to. These women had their rooms within the �-g�shi (great lattice doors or bars) and the D�b�-Goyen (洞房語園) states that these women had the prefix of K�shi placed before the word j�ro (courtesan) to distinguish them from Tsubone-j�ro. K�shi-j�ro were next in position to the Tayū, and their fee was at first 25 momme (Yen 4.15), but in the era of Kwamp� (1741–1743) it rose to 60 momme of silver (about Yen 10.00). It is mentioned in the Naniwa Seir�shi (浪花�樓誌) published in the 10th year of H�reki (1760) that the term Tenjin was in use not only in Ky�to but in Shim-machi, Ōsaka city. Next to the K�shi-j�ro came the Tsubone-j�ro,[23] and their fee was originally 20 momme silver (about Yen 3.32), but, after the appearance of the Sancha-j�ro, competition reduced it to 15 momme (about Yen 2.49).

An Ancient “Shiraby�shi.�

A “Yobidashi� of the Yoshiwara.

In the front of the houses where Tsubone-j�ro resided, wooden lattice work screens, cut in a “figure of eight� all over pattern, of six feet in height were erected, presenting a most curious spectacle. This class of courtesans were in their turn ousted from popularity by the Umecha-j�ro about the era of Genroku (1688–1703). It is true that after the era of Temmei (1781–1788) a class of prostitutes bearing a similar name came into existence, but these latter-day Tsubone-j�ro were the lowest of low women and are not to be confounded with their predecessors.

Kirimise-j�ro were the predecessors of the present Ko-mise-j�ro (“small-shop-courtesans�) to be found by the creek. These women lived in naga-ya (barrack-like tenement houses) and offered their services for the modest sum of 100 mon (10 sen): in consequence of this latter fact they were described as hyaku-z� (or freely rendered—“100 mon women�).

At the beginning of Kwambun (1661–1672) a still lower class of harlot, called Kendon, arose, and later on another lower grade of strumpets came into existence under the euphonious name of Tepp� (a gun). The Tepp� charged 2 shu (about Yen 1.25) for a day and night, but after 10 o’clock at night even this sum was reduced, on strictly business principles, to 400 mon (40 sen).

Sancha-j�ro was the name of a class of women which sprang up when a raid was made on the jigoku (“Hell women�) of Yedo and the furo-ya (bath-house) women were brought into the Yoshiwara in the 5th year of Kwambun (1665). The derivation of the word Sancha is very curious, and its explanation lies in a phonetically evolved pun. Sancha was the old time word for powdered tea, nowadays known as matcha or hikicha. In ancient times ordinary leaf tea was infused by placing it in a bag, and shaking this bag about in boiling water until the liquor was extracted. In the Japanese the verb “to shake� is furū, but this word is also used (especially by courtesans) to mean—“to repel� or “manifest dislike to� a guest. Ground tea (Sancha)—on the contrary—was not placed in a bag, but put right into the water, and therefore it required no shaking. The negative form of the word furū is furazu, and furazu has the sense not only of “not to shake� but “not to repel.� In the D�b�-Goyen it is stated that many of the better class courtesans were proud as peacocks, and in the zenith of their prosperity they would at times display marked antipathy to some of their guests, going so far as to repel (furū) the visitor altogether. The newly arrived courtesans who had been brought into the Yoshiwara from all parts of Yedo City were quite tractable and docile and did not attempt to rebuff (furazu) would-be guests and hence the name Sancha-j�ro (“Ground-tea harlots�). The fee of the Sancha-j�ro was at first 1 Bu (gold) (about Yen 2.50). This class of women became very popular in course of time, and by the era of An-yei (1772–1780) and Temmei (1781–1788) this popularity had become so marked that the number and value of Tayū and K�shi began to decrease. By the end of H�reki (1763) the last-named classes disappeared, and as soon as they ceased to exist the Sancha-j�ro succeeded in monopolizing the whole field. About that time, however, there arose a superior class called the Yobi-dashi, and these again were divided into two grades, distinguished in the Yoshiwara Saiken (list of prostitutes) of the period by the marks

and

respectively. Those marked

corresponded in all respects to the tayū. Their age-dai for 24 hours was 1 ry� 1 bu (about Yen 12.50) while those bearing the sign

were similar to the K�shi-j�ro, their age-dai for a day and a night being 1 ry� (about 10.00 Yen).

Type of Modern Courtesan in “State� Costume.

The Sancha were divided into Chūsan (or Hirusan) and Tsuke-mawashi, their charges being 3 bu (about Yen 7.50) and 2 bu (silver) (about Yen 5.00) respectively. Both the Yobi-dashi and Chūsan walked about the Naka-no-ch� on hachimonji geta (clogs) whereas the other women, with the exception of the Tsuke-mawashi, appeared in the hari-mise (or cage-like enclosure where the courtesans sat on exhibition). About the era of Genroku (1688–1703) a class of women named Baicha-j�ro came into existence and entered into competition with the San-cha, but failed to maintain their footing. The fee of these Bai-cha was originally 10 momme (silver) (about Yen 1.66) but it was raised to 15 momme (about Yen 2.50) afterwards. By the era of Kwamp� (1741–1743) the Baicha had well-nigh disappeared. The Zashiki-mochi and Heya-mochi who existed up to the time of the Restoration are said to have been the remnants of the Baicha-j�ro.

Since the Restoration (I-shin) the different classes of prostitutes have not been distinguished by any special names, but their age-dai varies according to the position of the brothels to which they belong. At present (1899) the fees charged run from 20 sen to 1 Yen 20 sen, and the women are divided into nine classes. The fees of the women in �-mise (large brothels) and naka-mise (medium brothels) are Yen 1.20 and 90 sen respectively. These large and medium-sized establishments must be visited through the agency of hikite-jaya, and the latter receive a commission of 10 per cent, on the business introduced by them.

In passing, it may be of interest to readers to peruse the following extracts from the “K�shoku-Shūgy�-Shokoku-Monogatari,� (好色修行諸國物語), written by the well-known novelist Ky�den (京傳) under the nom de plume of Sh�zan (笑山). In this work elaborate descriptions of Yobi-dashi, Zashiki-mochi, and Heya-mochi are given, and they portray a vivid picture of the lives and customs of those women between the era of Temmei (1781–1788) and Bunsei (1818–1829).

△ Yobidashi. (Fee from 1 Ry� 1 Bu to 1 Ry� 3 Bu: about Yen 12.50 to Yen 17.50). The gorgeousness of her wearing apparel almost defies description. Her dress consists of a long robe of richly embroidered silk brocade. Her head is ornamented by a dazzling glory of hair-pins (made of the finest tortoise-shell) which glitter around her head like the lambent aureole of a saint, while her ravishing beauty is such that the mere sight of her face will steal away one’s very soul. * * * * * From this description, the neatness of her apartments, the tasteful arrangement of her furniture, and the dainty elegance of her personal effects may well be imagined. Every oiran of the Yobidashi class goes out walking in the Naka-no-ch� as soon as it is dusk. She is attended by two kamuro (young female pages), two grown up female attendants (shinz�), a man bearing a box-lantern (hakoj�chin), a footman holding an open long-handled umbrella, and an old woman (yarite) who acts as her chaperone.

△ Zashiki-mochi. (Fee 1 Bu about Yen 2.50). These women belong to the ham-magaki brothels. Their “business hours� in the day-time are from 12 o’clock at noon to 4 o’clock in the afternoon; and in the evening from sunset until 12 o’clock (midnight). * * * * * Their garments are made chiefly of velvet, crêpe, satin, figured satin, or habutaye, and their girdles (obi) of gold brocade, velvet, damask, etc. A couple of rooms of eight mats each are generally placed at the disposal of each courtesan.

Their futon (a kind of soft mattress) are of velvet or damask (heavily wadded to a thickness of about nine inches) covered on the surface with a specially woven crêpe, and each woman possesses two such futon. The coverlets used at night are of black velvet lined with red crêpe.

â–³ Heyamochi. (Fee 2 shu: about Yen 1.25).

Although these belong to the smaller establishments, there are many fine looking women among them. * * * * * Velvets, crêpes, and other silken fabrics are employed in making their garments and bedding.

△ Tsubone-j�ro. (Fee 100 mon—about 10 sen—or 200 mon—about 20 sen for a day and night).

These are an exceedingly low class of women and their houses are frequented by the riff-raff and scum of the neighbourhood exclusively.

Type of Dress worn by a Courtesan.

In this neighbourhood there is some strange slang employed. A samurai—for example—is called “Yama San;� a priest “Gen San;� a merchant “Ch�nin San;� a young man “Musuko San;� and other queer nicknames are given to the various classes of people who visit the locality. These women used to lie in wait for passers-by, and pulling in any likely patron they could find would slam to the door. A few minutes afterwards the door would reopen and the guest depart, and this process would be repeated ad infinitum.

In a humorous work by Ikku called the “Sato Kanoko Shina Sadame� (里鹿��定) the tayū, k�shi, sancha, zashiki-mochi and heya-mochi are wittily compared to flowers, as follows:—Tayū being scarce nowadays may be compared to the cherry-blossom, for as no other flowers can equal the cherry in point of colour and fragrance, in like manner the beauty and loveliness of the tayū surpasses that of all courtesans. K�shi-j�ro, being mild and gentle, are like the single-petaled cherry-flower booming luxuriantly, for they impose no sense of restraint on anyone. The prosperity of the Sancha and Zashiki-mochi may be likened to the red plum blossom (k�bai) because its colour is so deep (by means of a double entendre this means that the amours of these women are very numerous).

The heya-mochi are like the white plum-blossom, pale in colour but very odoriferous. (!!!).

The following is a chronological table of the various changes of class and nomenclature of the joro:—

Kamuro.
(Young Female Pages.)

It is mentioned in the “Yoshiwara Daizen� (�原大全) that Kaburo (or Kamuro) was the name of young females in the Imperial Court who had the greater part of their head shaven and only a long kind of scalp-lock left hanging. The little girls who attended to the courtesans in ancient times were dressed in imitation of the child attendants formerly attached to the Court, and were styled Kiri-Kamuro. Their portraits are often seen in pictures of the Tosa and Hishikawa ukiy�-e (realistic pictures) schools. The clothes of the Kamuro were cha-j�ro named Miyakoji, belonging to the Naka-Ōmiya in chiefly made of white bleached linen, on which was dyed a pinetree pattern (waka-matsu no some-moy�), or of dyed calico.

The Tayū and K�shi-j�ro were entitled to two and three Kamuro attending upon them respectively while the Sancha-j�ro had only one; this system of limiting the number of the Kamuro of a courtesan was instituted to distinguish the class to which she belonged. The wearing of a kind of clothes, made of material called �giya-zome, by the Kamuro was considered fashionable. In the era of H�yei (1704–1710) a San-Sim-machi, was attended by two Kamuro when she walked through the quarter, and this excited a good deal of comment, the elders of the place claiming that it was contrary to established custom. The matter, however, was settled when Miyakoji explained that one of the little maids who had accompanied her was the servant of a sister courtesan. This precedent once established, it became a custom for Sancha-j�ro to sometimes walk out attended by two Kamuro under the pretext that one of these girls was not her own servant. It is said that this Miyakoji was a very popular woman, and that in the house of Naka Ōmiya, to which she belonged, her memory was preserved for several generations by means of calling her successors by a similar name. Since then Wakashu-Kamuro and B�zu-Kamuro came into fashion, and of later years it became the custom for Kamuro to wear the same kind of beautiful clothes as the courtesan on whom she was in attendance. Even at the present day it is the custom for the Kamuro to wear cotton clothes, dyed with a pine-tree pattern, during the first week in January, a period which is known by the Japanese as matsu no uchi.

Modern Courtesan and Her Attendants.

The “Yedo Kwagai-Enkwaku-Shi� (江戶花街沿�誌) says:—When a young girl was brought to a brothel as a Kamuro, it was usual for the keeper of the house to see and name her. In the selection of these names high-flown cognomens such as were bestowed on courtesans were carefully avoided, and pretty innocent names were chosen. These names rarely exceeded three syllables, and never four in any case. In the event of two Kamuro being attached to one courtesan, names were given them to match: e.g. one being called “Namiji� (waves) the other would be named “Chidori� (plover), or if one was called Kureha (�織 was one of the weavers who came from Go—a kingdom of China—in ancient times) the other would receive the name of Ayaha (a weaver from another kingdom in China.) The courtesan to whom the Kamuro belonged was called her “ane-j�ro� and this ane-j�ro found the Kamuro in clothes and paid all other expenses in connection with the child. The keeper of the brothel watched the behaviour and disposition of all the Kamuro in his houses, and if any promised to become famous courtesans he had them instructed in every branch of deportment, and taught the banjo (samisen), harp (koto), floral arrangement (ikebana), incense-burning (senk� 燃香), tea ceremonial (cha-no-yu), and other accomplishments which were considered necessary in aspirants for the “profession.� The behaviour of Kamuro towards their ane-j�ro was generally gentle and submissive, and they waited on her most assiduously. They attended to all her wants, waited on her at meals, lit her pipe when she desired to smoke, accompanied her when she promenaded in the Naka-no-ch�, and ran all her errands in the neighbourhood. The Kamuro would also perform trifling services for the guests of her ane-j�ro such as bringing water for washing their hands, etc. It was the custom originally that no Kamuro should assist at a wine party, as she was expected to remain sitting by the side of her mistress in the same manner as the page of a feudal lord sat behind his master, but later on this custom was changed and now the Kamuro wait on guests and pour out the saké. When there was no available ane-j�ro the Kamuro used to wait on the master of the house, and if the latter found her smart, beautiful, and likely to become a popular courtesan, he took her himself as a sort of adopted daughter, and had her educated at his own expense so as to fit her for the calling. On the other hand, girls who gave no promise of turning out well in the business were left without any education whatever, became household drudges pure and simple, and ended their days in dismal ignorance: under the most favourable circumstances, this latter class of Kamuro would not be able to attain to reading characters other than hiragana (an easy form of native script) and to a slight smattering of samisen playing. When a Kamuro attached to a courtesan was sick, her place was taken by one of the girls attending on the master, and it was also a custom for one brothel to make a loan of Kamuro to a neighbouring house whose keeper was short of these children. There were no particular rooms assigned to the Kamuro but they generally slept in a room next to that of their ane-j�ro. They took their meals in the kitchen together with Shinz� (see [chapter] headed thus) and Wakaimono (see that [heading]) and in the day-time were allowed to romp about the galleries of the brothels and play together.

Modern Courtesan, Attendant, and Kamuro.

The term Kamuro has only been employed in the Yoshiwara, and in the Okabasho (which includes the prostitute quarters at Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Senju, etc.) young servant maids were either called mame-don or ko-shoku. Even in the Yoshiwara there was a rule limiting the number of kamuro to attend to a courtesan of a particular grade.